Chef Mike Correll of Ruse in St. Michaels, Maryland, will collaborate with MaMou's Tom Branighan for a tasting menu on March 15. The event highlights ingredients from the Chesapeake Bay and Louisiana. The dinner costs $175 per person, with wine pairings available.
Chef Mike Correll, owner of Ruse restaurant in St. Michaels, Maryland, brings Chesapeake Bay flavors to New Orleans for a special collaborative dinner. Correll, a semifinalist last year for the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic award, met Branighan years ago while working at the acclaimed Philadelphia restaurant Lacroix. Now, Branighan runs MaMou in the French Quarter.
The dinner, set for Sunday, March 15, at MaMou, features a tasting menu drawing on seafood and produce from both regions. Correll emphasizes quality ingredients and local sourcing at Ruse, where he supports Chesapeake watermen by using only in-season crabmeat from mid-April to early November. He sources oysters from Phil Valliant's farm at the bay's mouth in Virginia, describing them as super petit, very salty, and delicious, akin to Maine oysters.
For the event, Correll plans a canape with Valliant's oysters and another with tartare from Rosetta Farms beef—100% Black Angus, dry-aged for 21 days—from Baltimore County. The entree highlights his signature blue crab cacio e pepe, adapted with Sichuan and black peppercorns in a sauce made from blue crab stock, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and peppercorns to accentuate the crab's brininess and sweetness. The vegetable course includes roasted mushrooms topped with a raw egg yolk and house-made salsa macha, served with tortillas for diners to mix themselves.
Correll's culinary path began in a Baltimore suburb, influenced by his mother and Food Network's Emeril Lagasse. After high school sports didn't lead to a scholarship, he attended culinary school in Philadelphia. He reflects on evolving from avant-garde techniques at Lacroix to prioritizing simple preparations that let ingredients shine, like a ripe vegetable with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Reservations and details are available at mamounola.com, while more on Ruse is at ruserestaurant.com.